Just wanted to introduce myself, and seek some advice!

Hey there folks, glad to be apart of the basenotes community. I just recently started getting into colognes. I have had a couple of bottles for a while now, but never really thought too much about them until one day I was at Macy's and when I walked into the fragrance department, I suddenly felt this awkward urge to buy every bottle in the whole store! The 2 bottles of cologne I have had are Chrome by Azzaro, and Essential by Lacoste. What do you guys think about those scents?

Anyway, as I mentioned above, I am starting to get into all the different types of cologne, and have been wanting to get something new lately. The thing is, I have been wanting to get the big 4.2 oz bottles, which take longer to finish, and cost a lot more. Should I just worry about getting a smaller size bottle? Since I want to experiment and try new ones as well?

Also, if you guys wouldn't mind, could you please post pictures of the different sizes of bottles of cologne? Because I have no idea how big the bottles are when they just post the amount of ounces. The most common sizes I see are 4.2 oz, 2.5 oz, and 1.3 oz.

Anyways, I truly look forward to becoming more involved in the world of fragrances!

Re: Just wanted to introduce myself, and seek some advice!

to basenotes fa7592!

It wouldn't matter if we post pictures of different sizes of bottles here because they don't look the same in real life. You have to just go out there in the malls and check the different sizes yourself.

Take your time....there's a lot of different scents out there to discover. You have to discover for yourself which ones appeal to you.

Re: Just wanted to introduce myself, and seek some advice!

You can either buy the small size to save some cash and buy another perfume. Buy the larger one when you know you really like it. All depends on your disposable income.

ditto.

And another addict is born! LOL

I'm relatively new, too. My process has been reading a lot on here about the kinds of frags I know I already like, and what other frags that might imply based on my likes. Then, when I have a good many recommendations from BN reviews or from the great people on here, I order samples from theperfumedcourt.com. Then I GO TO TOWN. Makes me quiver all over.

Re: Just wanted to introduce myself, and seek some advice!

Re: Just wanted to introduce myself, and seek some advice!

Originally Posted by fa7592

Also, if you guys wouldn't mind, could you please post pictures of the different sizes of bottles of cologne? Because I have no idea how big the bottles are when they just post the amount of ounces. The most common sizes I see are 4.2 oz, 2.5 oz, and 1.3 oz.

As mentioned above, pictures will not be all that helpful, as bottle shape affects how you perceive the bottle size, and sometimes the same fragrance comes in lots of different shapes, which makes ballparking the size at a glance even harder.

One ounce is approximately 30 mL, so 0.33 oz is about 10 mL. Thus:

1.3/1.33 oz = ~40 mL

1.7 oz = ~50 mL

2.5 oz = ~75 mL

3.3/3.4 oz = ~100 mL

4.2 oz = ~125 mL

If you plan on someday amassing a large(r) collection, smaller bottles are the way to go, even if the cost-per-mL is typically higher than with the larger bottles. If you LOVE something or the price difference is pretty negligible, the bigger bottle makes sense of course but when funds are limited, less is definitely more.

Say you have $100 to spend. You might be able to get two or three fragrances you like in the smaller sizes for almost what it costs to buy one larger bottle, the vast majority of the contents of which will just sit there anyway, unused for months or even years until you work your way down. And unless something gets discontinued on a wide scale, you can always repurchase.

Some of the high-end designer and niche stuff operate on a different price-to-value scale entirely. Sample first to determine what is "worth it" and what isn't.

Re: Just wanted to introduce myself, and seek some advice!

Yes, as the previous post suggests...

I always say to newbies: never buy one huge bottle when you could get a set of minis (or just pick and choose some yourself) for about the same price. (OR less!) Because you're absolutely right about never using up the big bottles. Often you can find 15 mL or 30 mL (0.5 or 1.0 oz), which I think is about right for ones you _really_ like.

Re: Just wanted to introduce myself, and seek some advice!

Thanks for all the advice guys. I had my mind set on buying 4.2oz bottles of every cologne that I liked, but then I thought about it a little more and realized how bad of an idea that was, lol.

Just thought that I should share with everyone, I was at the mall today and wandered into a store called Designer Fragrances and Cosmetics Company. Big ups to that store, and if any of you have it near you, definitely check it out. I managed to get a gift set that includes a 4.2 oz bottle of cologne, a 4.2 oz bottle of aftershave, and a small deodorant stick for Polo Double Black by Ralph Lauren for $50!

Now, their prices are always cheaper than what normal retail stores sell for, but I think they had an extra 25% off of all items because it was Memorial Day.

Anyways, if you ever find a Designer Fragrances and Cosmetics Company near you, be sure to check it out!

Re: Just wanted to introduce myself, and seek some advice!

PDB is pretty interesting, certainly moreso that most Laurens. One of the few desserty scents that I like. How did you decide on liking that one enough to get such a monster bottle? (I agree though, that's a pretty good deal).

Re: Just wanted to introduce myself, and seek some advice!

Originally Posted by Redbeard

PDB is pretty interesting, certainly moreso that most Laurens. One of the few desserty scents that I like. How did you decide on liking that one enough to get such a monster bottle? (I agree though, that's a pretty good deal).

Well when I got that Lacoste Essential cologne last year, the lady at the store (Macy's) threw in a bunch of little sample vials of various colognes and one of them was the Polo Double Black. I really liked it so when I ran out of it I knew I wanted some more.

Re: Just wanted to introduce myself, and seek some advice!

My newbie advice is -- only buy big bottles if all three things are true:

1) It's cheap, or you're rich

2) You already know you love wearing it, because you're already owned some (at least a sample vial, like you did with Polo Double Black)

3) You can't see yourself trying anything new for a few years and you're about to stop reading Basenotes

That last one -- because if you read about other things, you'll want to try them, and if you try other things, chances are good you'll find a few that you really like . . . and then a few more . . . and then try a completely different type, and maybe you love some of those . . . and all of a sudden, you're not nearly as interested in wearing Eau de Huge Bottle every day after all!

Re: Just wanted to introduce myself, and seek some advice!

My newbie advice is -- only buy big bottles if all three things are true:

1) It's cheap, or you're rich

2) You already know you love wearing it, because you're already owned some (at least a sample vial, like you did with Polo Double Black)

3) You can't see yourself trying anything new for a few years and you're about to stop reading Basenotes

That last one -- because if you read about other things, you'll want to try them, and if you try other things, chances are good you'll find a few that you really like . . . and then a few more . . . and then try a completely different type, and maybe you love some of those . . . and all of a sudden, you're not nearly as interested in wearing Eau de Huge Bottle every day after all!

Thanks for the advice. I'll definitely keep it in mind, and try my best with the 3rd rule

Re: Just wanted to introduce myself, and seek some advice!

Welcome! I have just embarked on this journey too! My one piece of advice would be to try and reign in your excitement before making any purchase. I took my first trip to a department store today and just wanted to smell and buy everything. The urge to buy on impulse was very hard to resist, but thanks to the excellent advice from this site, I havent bankrupted myself and havent ended up with a lot of fragrances I dont even like! Patience is a virtue after all

Re: Just wanted to introduce myself, and seek some advice!

Since joining Basenotes 2 years ago, I have yet to finish a 50ml bottle of fragrance. If you are planning to smell many fragrances, sampling is the way to go. But fragrance sampling can become an addiction on its own. Big bottles or sample vials, either way, you're screwed. Welcome to Basenotes aka Fragrance Addiction Club.

Re: Just wanted to introduce myself, and seek some advice!

I've been thinking about that "don't buy a FB right away" advice because I made the same newbie mistake when I was just starting out and have a couple of FBs (fortunately inexpensive designer frags) that I probably only need 10ml of and will probably decant and attempt to sell the remainder on BN. My first FB was Tam Dao, which I still love, and fortunately it's also good for swaps since it's popular on BN.

There are a couple of local shops that I go to once or twice a month to sniff and get samples. These are independently owned businesses that I want to have a long-term relationship with, plus I believe in supporting local small businesses. So I don't want them to think that I'm just a sample leech that will never buy. However, I have a pretty small budget for fragrance shopping right now. So I was thinking of two options to nurture my relationship with these shops without buying FBs: first, let the shopowner know verbally that I am on a budget but that I am a long-term buyer and when it's time to buy I will get it there instead of online, and second, from time to time buy something inexpensive like a bar of soap or a cheap fragrance like TokyoMilk to let them know that I am a good faith customer. I'm wondering if anyone else has thought about this issue, and how you approach it.